A Hamilton institution marks 70 years of training hair stylists in Ontario
As Hamilton hair design school Bruno’s celebrates its 70th anniversary, owner Sima Sakha says it can proudly point to generations of graduates.
“In every salon in Hamilton or the Toronto area that you go, there are likely at least one or two people who graduated from Bruno’s,” said Sakha, who is also a former student of the school. “I know people whose grandparents graduated from Bruno’s, and their parents, and now they are here.”
Bruno’s Schools of Hair Design, which is located in the city’s Bartonville east-end neighbourhood, was founded in London, Ont., in 1953. It opened locations in Hamilton, Toronto, Mississauga and Scarborough, though it eventually sold most of them. According to the school, it has graduated more than 20,000 stylists over the years.
“We provide employment, education and also barbering and beauty services to the public,” Sakha said. “I’m proud to continue this journey.”
She said the school, which currently has about 35 students, can teach people with no experience and also offers refresher courses for people with experience who need a locally recognized licence.
A beginner needs to complete 1,500 hours to get a diploma, and they can study full-time or part-time. Students can learn a range of skills including hair cutting, colouring, barbering, manicuring and makeup.
On a recent Monday, a class of students watched intently as one of Bruno’s instructors cut a person’s hair in front of them, narrating what they were doing and asking the class questions.
“How much does hair grow in a month?”
“Half an inch,” someone called out in response.
Should you blow dry every time? On that, students’ opinions were mixed. “I say yes,” the instructor said, suggesting it helps to see how hair will fall when it’s dry.
One student, Daniel Hana, whose parents own hair businesses in Hamilton, has been learning at Bruno’s for about six months.
“My father actually went to Bruno’s and he had a wonderful experience, so I wanted to follow in his footsteps. I’m seeming to like it just as much as he did.”
Hana particularly enjoys barbering, likening it to a sculptor “carving out a shape.”
“My plan is definitely to work with my parents first and foremost, and then later on, I want to open my own business.”
WATCH: Sima Sakha explains why she wanted to own her former hair school
Featured VideoSima Sakha, owner and graduate of Bruno’s Schools of Hair Design, says she wants others to experience the school like she did.
Sakha came to Hamilton in 2003 after her family left Afghanistan due to the Taliban takeover. She found work in a hair salon and learned about Bruno’s. Sakha enrolled and graduated in 2007, becoming a hairstylist. She says about five years ago, then-owner John Morrison told her he was ready to retire and asked if she wanted to run the school.
“I wasn’t ready at that time, so I had to turn the offer down.” Instead, Sakha started teaching at the school.
When Morrison died in 2021, “We had two options: To either close it down completely or just keep it open,” she said. “At that time, I was the only one with experience as an instructor. So I stepped up.”
Sakha said she changed her mind about running Bruno’s after thinking about what it meant to her.
“I graduated from here and I had a career. I was thinking that there were a lot of students and we couldn’t just let them go,” she said.
“I want everybody like me that comes here in this country, and wants to pursue this career, to have an opportunity to come to Bruno’s and graduate.”
The haircuts Bruno’s offers to the public are relatively inexpensive, Sakha said, with a men’s haircut and blow dry going for $10, and a women’s shampoo, set and blow dry for $14.
“We keep the price really low so people can afford to come here and we get customers for the students to practice,” Sakha said. “A haircut is really important and it gives you confidence and personality.”
One customer, Alison DeBoer, has been going to Bruno’s for a couple years.
“There’s a great environment here, right when you walk in the door,” DeBoer said, smiling when she saw the final result of her cut.
“Everybody is very eager to learn… And you get to be a part of their learning, which is another great aspect of being a client.”
